Monday, April 25th, 2016

Hey Everyone!

I hope y'all had a great week! I know that I did!

This week we had quite a few things happen. First off on Monday I was able to place a Spanish Book of Mormon which was really cool. I asked her if she would like to learn more and she said yes so we had to run back to our apartment to get her one. When the Spanish Elders called her, she said she didn't have time to meet because she was so busy reading the Book of Mormon! Hopefully the Spanish Elders are able to teach her sometime soon.

Then on Tuesday I went to the doctor to get checked out after the crash and they gave me a clean bill of health which was good. Now I can say that I got checked out and I am fine.

So this week has been pretty hot, maybe I am just noticing it since now we are biking up big hills and walking around a lot but it has been hot. One of the days however, when we went out to run, it was a little bit humid and I was so excited! I could've ran in that for miles! It felt so great!!

On Wednesday we went on over to Nita's house because it was her 76th Birthday! She was so excited to see us because she thought we were going to come the next day when we usually do but we decided to come early since it was her Birthday! She is such a great lady and she has such awesome stories.

So update on our investigators, first off Rachel was not able to come to church because of a dental issue she had. However she is still planning on getting baptized, she will just have to wait until the following week but that is fine. I am not worried about her. She is awesome!

We also were able to teach the Plan of Salvation lesson on the spot to someone and the next day we saw him on the street and asked him how his reading of the pamphlet went and he said it went well. He said that he had a good feeling and that he wanted to learn more. He even mentioned the additional scriptures in the back that he wanted to read but didn't have a Bible or Book of Mormon so we got him a copy so that he could study it. We also have a lesson set up with him this week and are excited to be able to teach him about The Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

We also were able to teach this one family that we met on the street about our message. We were walking by and we stopped to talk to her and she said that she wanted to hear out testimonies so we told her them and then we prayed with them. After that the 17 year old daughter, Kiana, said she wanted to learn more and asked if she could have all of the pamphlets. So I gave her all of them and gave her a brief explanation of them all. We are going to be going to see her and her family tonight! I am so excited!

I know that this Church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is exact same Church that Christ established when He was here on the Earth. I know that the prophet Joseph Smith restored that Church back on this Earth and that he translated the Book of Mormon which are ancient records of the ancient inhabitants of the Americas. I know that if we read the Book of Mormon with real intent and ask Heavenly Father with a softened heart, He will manifest the truth of it unto you that it is true. I am so grateful for the opportunity that I have to serve here and that I am given the privilege to see lives change for the better!

Thank you for all of your love and support!

I love and miss y'all!!

Love,

Elder Rudd

 

Visiting Nita on her Birthday.

The wall above my desk.

(I love quotes)

Heading out.

 

Monday, April 18, 2016

Life in Fallbrook is Great!

Hey Everyone!!

 

This week was great! I am so happy to be in my new area! The people here are great and they are all super involved in missionary work which I love!!

 

So my new area is a full time biking and walking area, but that is totally fine and quite honestly I really like that. I am able to talk to so many more people and am able to see so many more cool things. Plus, I don't have to worry about getting in a car accident.

 

So my first day here we had dinner with the Bishop and his family and bishop invited this homeless man over for dinner and this man did not look homeless at all! He actually had a really great story about how he came from a nice job and moved here to California because he wanted to be closer to his daughter and since jobs here are so hard to find he hasn't really been able to get settled in since what money he does get he gives to his daughter. He is such a sweet man and I am glad that we were able to be a part of dinner with him. We then were able to share a really spiritual message with them about how we go through our trials for a reason and that every thing works out perfectly if we are following God's will.

 

So we are biking here a lot and I love it.  I forgot how nice it was to be able to ride a bike!

 

We also will be having a baptism on April 30th! Her name is Rachel and she is AWESOME!! She is so ready and she loves the gospel so much!

 

Also in my last area, I was teaching a girl named Rachel and they were able to commit her to baptism as well! She was actually the one to bring it up and ask them about it, which makes it even more awesome! I am excited to be able to go back for her baptism.

 

So an interesting contact the other day...I stopped to talked to this guy and I was speaking Spanish with him and he said to me as I was telling him the I was a missionary, "do you want to sell me your bike?" and I was like "No, I want to share a message about Jesus Christ." I guess the only thing he wanted was my bike because he left when I said that. There were however some other people that we were able to set up a time with to share our message with and will be doing that this week. People here are just so friendly compared to Vista.

 

I am so grateful for the opportunity that I have to serve here and am grateful for my Lord and Savior that helps me through each and every day. I know that we have a prophet on the Earth today that leads and guides us just like in times of old and I know that the Book of Mormon is true and I can never deny that because of the Spirit that I have felt that has confirmed its truthfulness unto me. I am so grateful for the Spirit in my life and I hope that each and every one of us will always strive to have the Spirit with us because I do not know what my life would be like without it.

 

Thank y'all for all of your love and support!!

 

I love and miss y'all!!

 

Love,
Elder Rudd

Vista Zone

(A few days before transfers)

 

 From Back Left to Right:

Elder Grosebeck (DL), E. Madero, E. Saxey (DL), E. Mangus, E. Wilson (ZL)

E. Rudnning, E. Steiner, E. Le Tendre, E. Quinney, E. Urey, E. Rudd (DL),

Sister Denny, Sis. Benware, Sis. Middleton, Sis. Call, E. Ellis (ZL)

 

Out walking in Fallbrook

Elder Parkinson (new comp from Delta, UT) & Elder Rudd

 

Fallbrook Selfie

 

 

 

 

Monday, April 11, 2016

4th Transfer Has Come to an End


Hey Everyone!!

I hope y'all had a great week and that you were able to enjoy the little things in life.

 

So we also got a new vehicle on Monday night...now we have a 2014 Chevy Cruze.

 

I had a pretty good week. It was pretty uneventful since Elder Urey got sick and we had to stay inside for the past few days. Before he got sick though, we were able to teach Joie, Justin, and Monti and help them to come closer to Christ. We taught them about a reason why we have trials in our lives and how they make us stronger and they totally agreed with us on that. 

 

We were also able to meet up with this guy named Anthony and talk to him about God's plan for him. Oh, also if you have never seen the Mormon message, "The Hope of God's Light", I strongly recommend watching it, it is such a powerful video that brings the Spirit so strongly!

 

So for dinner one of the nights this weeks, we were supposed to go with this member from our ward to the Yellow Deli, but the day he took us was actually their Sabbath.  So we decided to go to their celebration, which come to find out is in the middle of nowhere and we ended up getting lost on some dirt roads in the middle of the night. It was a very long escapade and one that I do not plan on doing ever again. We ended up just turning around and going back to our apartment to get food. 

 

I know that this Church is true with all of my heart and I am so thankful for all of the experiences that I am able to go through. I have learned so much in the past 6 months and have been able to come closer my Lord and Savior. I know that the Book of Mormon is true because I have read it and have asked Heavenly Father is it was true and I got the answer that it was through the Holy Ghost. The promise in Moroni 10:3-5 is true and if you take the time to read the Book of Mormon and sincerely ask if it is true you will come to find that it is truly Another Testament of Jesus Christ. 

 

I hope that y'all have a great week!! 

 

I love and miss y'all so much!!

 

Love,

Elder Rudd

 

NOTE: Transferring to Fallbrook 2nd Ward (bike area) tomorrow.

 

 

All happy emailing back home on P-Day.

 

 

 

 

Monday, April 5, 2016

How's it going everyone!

This week was a great week. We saw so many miracles happen!

First off we were able to have a lesson with Rachel and answer many of her questions. She also came to 8 hours of General Conference. We both have a feeling that she is going to be getting baptized. She loves the church and how loving all of the members are to her. She also loved how she got many of her questions answered when she went to an institute class.

General Conference was amazing as well and I feel like it is so much better as a missionary because you can really receive so much revelation from it. 

After the first session of General Conference, we were able to go out with Erik Atienza and we decided to stop by Daniel's house. There we were able to have a lesson with him and Erik was a great member missionary. He really emphasized how important it was that Daniel come to church with us.

Now the craziest thing of all that happened this week...we got in a head on collision with a pickup truck and walked away without one scratch on us!! Missionaries truly are protected. So the story goes like this...we were driving to go and see a potential investigator and as we were driving down Townsite Dr. this truck came out of a road and came into my lane, so I braked thinking that they would correct themselves and then go into the other lane. Then they sped up and I realized that we were about to get hit. So I braced myself and put my arms in front of my face and then it happened. I can barely remember them hitting us other than the lights coming at me and then I think we got knocked out for a couple of minutes. Then Elder Urey and I wake up to some loud ringing and smoke in the air from the air bags going off. I turn to Elder Urey and ask if he is okay and he says 'yes'. Then he asks the same to me and I said 'yes'. Then I told him he should probably call 911. We then got out of the car and looked for the truck that did this to us.  We are guessing that the driver of the truck might have been drinking and driving, because they were gone. Then the Fire department and the police showed up and we told them that we were okay. It is crazy to think that we got in a head-on collision and were able to walk away from it with no injuries at all. I have such a greater testimony of how much the Lord truly does have His hand in our lives and that He will protect us. By the way our car is totaled and that really stinks because I liked that car. Oh and we are perfectly fine as well, I am glad that we were able to be the ones to get in the crash because we were talking to this lady after the accident and she said that she was about to leave and if it had not been us then it most likely would have been this older woman with her little children in the car. 

I know that this Church is true and I am so glad that I have the opportunity to serve here in the California Carlsbad Mission. There is no place I would rather be! I am so thankful for a prophet that is here to lead and guide us and I know that he and his Apostles words truly are there to help us improve and become better.

Thank you for all of your love and support.

I love and miss y'all!!

Love,

Elder Rudd

Truck vs. Car 

 

Ouch!

 

 

Thankful for air bags!

I sure hope the cops locate the truck that hit them.

April Fools prank before

meeting with the Zone Leaders